PONDA: Following the closure of Sanjivani sugar factory at Dharbandora, the factory administration, which recently launched ‘Bag of Vegetables scheme’ for Rs 100 this year, will now launch fish farming activities in its fallow land from January 5.
Sanjivani Sugar Factory has around 15 lakh square metres of land. The factory workers have been without work following the sugar factory’s closure and now the administration is putting in efforts to provide work for its employees and generate some revenue. The proposed ethanol project has not seen the light of the day which has forced the farmers to stage a sit-in protest.
It may be recalled that the factory administration launched a “bag of vegetables” scheme for Rs 100 and will now launch fish farming activity from January 5 onwards. Large pits on Sanjivani’s land will be used for fish farming activities.
Factory administrator Satej Kamath said under the “Bag of vegetable scheme”, customers buy a bag full of various vegetables at the sugar factory outlet on payment of Rs 100.
Administrator Satej Kamat said for cultivating vegetables, 24 plots have been prepared in Sanjivani’s fallow land with each plot measuring 2,000 sqms where various kinds of vegetables such as tambdi bhaji, radish, cucumber, lady finger, etc are grown. The government temporarily shut the factory in 2019-20 due to financial losses.
Sugarcane farmers hit out at Sanjivani land being used for non-sugarcane agri activities
PONDA: Sugarcane farmers on Thursday slammed the Sanjivani administration for using the factory-owned land for non-agricultural activities.
When contacted by O Heraldo, Harshad Prabudesai, an office bearer of Sanjivani Sugarcane Farmers Association, said, “Sanjivani land is meant only for sugarcane production and only sugarcane should be cultivated on this land which is not meant for fishing activities.
He said that vegetables can be grown as a by-product. The government should focus only on sugarcane production and start ethanol plant at the earliest.
He said farmers are staging a sit-in protest for starting an ethanol plant at earliest.
President of Sanjivani Sugarcane Farmers Association Rajendra Desai opposed any move to use the Sanjivani land for fishing activities.
Stating that former Chief Minister Bhahusaheb Bandodkar had started the sugar factory for survival of sugarcane producing farmers, he said that the land cannot be used for other production.
He said, “We are agitating for restarting the factory and the government should pay attention to our issues and solve them. The government should produce sugarcane on the factory land and start an ethanol plant at the earliest.”
He said farmers in Goa will suffer badly if the sugar factory is not started with an ethanol plant. Sugarcane should be the main production.
